While Universal Design for Learning (UDL) had gained in momentum across Canadian post-secondary institutions over the last decade, oftentimes instructors who are introduced to the framework get few opportunities to consider detailed implementation or to reflect fully on its implication for their own teaching and learning – beyond the initial increased awareness of the need for accessibility and inclusion of all diverse learners. As a result, much of this initial curiosity and interest tends to die down, for simple lack of support, infrastructure, and time.
This session will seek to address this common issue and ongoing challenge, by offering participants a half day of deep immersion into the principles of UDL and their implementation in class. After a quick refresher of the key characteristics of the UDL approach, the participants will be encouraged to work in teams on hands-on case studies and scenarios that will offer them the opportunity to fully gauge what the redesign of a class delivery or assessment – along UDL principles - might look like and imply.
The workshop will also include a large segment reserved for interactive questions and discussions. This will offer participants the opportunity to develop their reflection around UDL implementation in their practice and individual professional context in detail and depth. The whole group will have the opportunity to review a number of hands on concerns and preoccupations and to equip all participants with a degree of autonomy in relation to the implementation of UDL into their teaching and learning.
Slides to accompany a bite-size training session on handling difficult people. Full training materials including Session Leaders Notes, Delegate Workbook and any Activity handouts can be purchased licence-free from http://www.power-hour.co.uk/trainingmaterialsshop. Prices start from £30 + VAT
How to deal with difficult people at workplacenick_3
Delivered on 31.03.2015 at DMS, PIEAS, Islamabad, Pakistan to the class of communication skills.
One of the assignments given by Dr. Tariq Majeed to the class of MS Radiation and Medical Oncology (RMO) Session 2014-16,
Communication & presentation skills training course duration 12hrs in 2days , advanced course Video & assignment embedded for mid-level career or management level.
What is soft skills training? | Soft Skills Training Institute | Enchore Reta...Enchore Retail Solutions
Business is about people. It is about communication, relationships and about presenting yourself, your company and your ideas in the most positive and impactful way Hence, we at enchore, a soft skills training institue believe that soft skills is required to build a successful career.
http://enchore.in/soft-skill-training-institute/
Breaking free of teacher-centric beliefs about assessment Using Universal De...Frederic Fovet
Awareness of learner diversity is growing in the post-secondary sector. Recent societal phenomena such as the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, the emergence of Truth and Reconciliation as an urgent national priority, and the growing youth voice around the fluidity of sexuality and gender have all brought to the surface the need for higher education to adapt and authentically address learner diversity. Equity Diversity and Inclusion policies have, as a result, flourished on most campuses in recent years, but these initiatives – it can be argued – remain overall conceptual rather than pragmatic. They also tend to target campus climate and policies, rather than pedagogy itself. There are few tangible tools readily available for faculty to translate these EDI objectives into effective change in classroom practices
And yet a malaise around the very format of instruction and assessment keeps growing. Most instructors are amply aware that many practices that are currently being perpetuated were designed when the learner population was historically oddly homogenous. There is tension in this contemporary and fast changing context and many classroom practitioners are thirsty for user-friendly, time efficient tools that might guide them effectively through this pedagogical metamorphosis without endangering standards, core teaching objectives, and external benchmarks – and without pushing them to exhaustion. Assessment is an area of this collective pedagogical reflection where fear of change is most tangible.
This fully interactive closing Keynote will encourage participants to explore, in workshop style, the use of Universal Design for Learning as a simple and sustainable framework to begin the journey of breaking free of teacher centric design in assessment. The first section of the session will encourage the participants to examine the need for change in this landscape and the pressing thirst for hands on tools for pedagogical transformation (the ‘why?’). Attention will be paid to the way the COVID pandemic and online pivot have made this urgency more tangible. The second part of the session will showcase the extent to which UDL offers a very specific appeal in this context, as a process to begin the journey towards inclusive design in assessment (the ‘how?’). The third part of the session will take a macro view of the process of pedagogical change in higher education, and stress the need to acknowledge a number of important institutional, strategic and organizational variables in order to create winning conditions for UDL adoption in the area of assessment (the “and now?”).
Slides to accompany a bite-size training session on handling difficult people. Full training materials including Session Leaders Notes, Delegate Workbook and any Activity handouts can be purchased licence-free from http://www.power-hour.co.uk/trainingmaterialsshop. Prices start from £30 + VAT
How to deal with difficult people at workplacenick_3
Delivered on 31.03.2015 at DMS, PIEAS, Islamabad, Pakistan to the class of communication skills.
One of the assignments given by Dr. Tariq Majeed to the class of MS Radiation and Medical Oncology (RMO) Session 2014-16,
Communication & presentation skills training course duration 12hrs in 2days , advanced course Video & assignment embedded for mid-level career or management level.
What is soft skills training? | Soft Skills Training Institute | Enchore Reta...Enchore Retail Solutions
Business is about people. It is about communication, relationships and about presenting yourself, your company and your ideas in the most positive and impactful way Hence, we at enchore, a soft skills training institue believe that soft skills is required to build a successful career.
http://enchore.in/soft-skill-training-institute/
Similar to From curiosity to sustainable individual implementation: Getting settled into a UDL routine of inclusive redesign of course delivery and assessment.
Breaking free of teacher-centric beliefs about assessment Using Universal De...Frederic Fovet
Awareness of learner diversity is growing in the post-secondary sector. Recent societal phenomena such as the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, the emergence of Truth and Reconciliation as an urgent national priority, and the growing youth voice around the fluidity of sexuality and gender have all brought to the surface the need for higher education to adapt and authentically address learner diversity. Equity Diversity and Inclusion policies have, as a result, flourished on most campuses in recent years, but these initiatives – it can be argued – remain overall conceptual rather than pragmatic. They also tend to target campus climate and policies, rather than pedagogy itself. There are few tangible tools readily available for faculty to translate these EDI objectives into effective change in classroom practices
And yet a malaise around the very format of instruction and assessment keeps growing. Most instructors are amply aware that many practices that are currently being perpetuated were designed when the learner population was historically oddly homogenous. There is tension in this contemporary and fast changing context and many classroom practitioners are thirsty for user-friendly, time efficient tools that might guide them effectively through this pedagogical metamorphosis without endangering standards, core teaching objectives, and external benchmarks – and without pushing them to exhaustion. Assessment is an area of this collective pedagogical reflection where fear of change is most tangible.
This fully interactive closing Keynote will encourage participants to explore, in workshop style, the use of Universal Design for Learning as a simple and sustainable framework to begin the journey of breaking free of teacher centric design in assessment. The first section of the session will encourage the participants to examine the need for change in this landscape and the pressing thirst for hands on tools for pedagogical transformation (the ‘why?’). Attention will be paid to the way the COVID pandemic and online pivot have made this urgency more tangible. The second part of the session will showcase the extent to which UDL offers a very specific appeal in this context, as a process to begin the journey towards inclusive design in assessment (the ‘how?’). The third part of the session will take a macro view of the process of pedagogical change in higher education, and stress the need to acknowledge a number of important institutional, strategic and organizational variables in order to create winning conditions for UDL adoption in the area of assessment (the “and now?”).
Frederic Fovet Presentatin at the UDL and Inclusive Practice Symposium: Reach...Frederic Fovet
Post-secondary campuses are attracting an increasingly diverse student population. This must be celebrated as it means that the post-secondary classroom is also increasingly representative of the population at large; it means as well that all students are confronted with diversity in their campus experience and learn to embrace it; the internationalization of post-secondary institutions furthermore leads to greater opportunities to develop global citizenship.
This diversity of the student population, however, is not always perceived by faculty as easy or seamless to address proactively. As a result, students’ expectations can often clash with current teaching and learning practices that have not changed as fast as the composition of the student body has done. This leads to friction. It is not just students with disabilities that are experiencing barriers in their learning; International students, second language learners, culturally diverse and racialized students, first generation students, Indigenous students, and non-traditional learners all report experiencing similar barriers in their learning in the post-secondary classroom. Together, these students often represent a majority on our campuses - a majority that does not feel learning is designed for their needs.
It is becoming urgent therefore to find ways of eroding this friction. The solutions must address the needs of diverse learners proactively, but also support faculty as they rethink their classroom practices. These solutions must be sustainable, user-friendly, cost-effective, and powerful; they must guarantee a rapid change in our teaching and learning landscape, uphold the standards of post-secondary education, and ensure the creation of genuinely inclusive provisions.
The session will explore how Universal Design for Learning is uniquely positioned as a framework to address these pressing needs. The session will be interactive and seek to empower participants with a firm mastery of the UDL principles, to offer them practical examples of their use in the classroom, and to guide them as they begin their journey with implementation.
From curiosity to systemic implementation: Making UDL buy-in a strategic inst...Frederic Fovet
There has been growing but sporadic interest around Universal Design for Learning across the post-secondary sector in most jurisdictions over the last decade. This, in itself is encouraging and there is no doubt that the notion that inclusion must be achieved through proactive inclusive design rather than through retrofitting and accommodations is finally gaining in popularity and visibility. While many of the initiatives seeking to implement UDL are effective and credible, these are usually led by individual instructors or small communities of practice. As such, they represent powerful illustrations of UDL in action but they fail to tackle the complexity of how systemic implementation can be achieved across institutions. This presentation will offer an ecological view of the numerous factors that come into play when institutions consider campus-wide UDL implementation, and will prepare participants to proactively prepare for this complexity. It is undeniable that the COVID pandemic and the pivot to online teaching and learning have further muddied the waters, and the presentation will seek to explore what specific post-pandemic UDL efforts are now necessary.
Presentation Frederic Fovet Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences 2019Frederic Fovet
Inclusive provisions have been statutorily mandated in North America for now over two decades. Despite a growing body of literature around inclusive practices, many in-service teachers continue to express difficulties when it comes to tangible implementation of Inclusion in the everyday classroom. While there is debate around the various forms Inclusion can take (UDL, differentiation, personalization, etc.), there appears to be a more significant hurdle in getting in-service teachers to fully embrace Inclusion both as a goal and a practice.
This paper investigates teachers’ degree of awareness around the Social Model of Disability. It argues that teachers often lack basic awareness of Disability Studies, more particularly of the Social Model of Disability, and that this has a direct impact on their capacity to conceptualize and embrace Inclusion.
The paper draws from the researcher’s experience as a graduate instructor with in-service teachers, as well as from his experience as a consultant working with schools and school boards. The methodology chosen here is phenomenology, and it draws on tools such as auto-ethnography.
The paper opens a discussion around the reform and transformation of pre-service teacher training. It argues that Disability Studies should be integrated into teacher training as it plays a key role in having teachers develop a theoretical understanding of Disability as a social construct.
Keynote Presentation Universell Norway May 25 Frederic Fovet
Keynote presentation at the Nasjonalt webinar om inkluderende læringsmiljø - Unoversell, Norway
Exploring the need for sustainable ‘whole campus’ approaches to the Inclusion of diverse learners
Nothing about them without them: Authentically engaging students in UDL growthFrederic Fovet
Presentation at the 1st International Universal Design for Learning Symposium Learning Together.
Maynooth University, June 8th, 2023
There has been a growing interest for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework for inclusion in both the K-12 and post-secondary sectors over the last decade, and this momentum has been noticeable globally. The body of literature which evidences the pedagogical benefits of UDL implementation for the inclusion of diverse learners is now broad and diversified. There is also growing interest in examining UDL implementation from a leadership and administrative perspective, examining it as a management of change process.
Throughout this growth in scholarship and field initiatives, the concepts of student voice and student advocacy have frequently been used and showcased. The literature regarding the learner role in the process of UDL implementation is, however, still limited. Placing learners in the driving seat when it comes to UDL adoption is therefore purely conceptual and abstract at this stage. It will be challenging to genuinely scale-up UDL as a framework, in both the K-12 sector and the post-secondary landscape, until students have considered with care and offered an active leadership role. Students’ perception of UDL and its objectives are key in the success of initiatives that seek to integrate it across organizations.
This fully interactive session will examine the various facets of the notion of learner involvement in the process of UDL adoption. First, the session will consider the way UDL must be explicitly discussed with learners within the class, while UDL initiatives are attempted. Failure to explain this process to students, and to actively engage them in it, significantly limits the scope of such efforts. The second part of the session will consider learner voice beyond the class itself, and will discuss ways to involve students as co-advocates for UDL growth, across institutions. This is a rich and complex process of critical empowerment which has unfortunately been so far rushed or ignored. The third part of the session will consider how UDL professional development should be addressed not just to educators but to student groups and student representatives. This section of the presentation will explore how the UDL principles must bee woven into such resources and PD for students and student groups, and how they must inform the design of such initiatives.
Can you afford not to do this? Framing the pressing need for Universal Design...Frederic Fovet
Slides of my presentation as part of a panel run with Anna Santucci hosted by UCC and organized by CIRTL and James Northridge of UCC Inclusive
While Universal Design for Learning (UDL) had gained in momentum across Canadian post-secondary institutions over the last decade, it has been mostly framed in terms of pedagogical best practices. This has inherently meant that it has attracted and been appealing to instructors already very focused on transformative pedagogies and accessibility. Few other strategic approaches to UDL advocacy and strategic growth have to date been explored. Yet, many efforts to deploy UDL in the further and higher education sectors have stalled or not gained full momentum on the global scale. The time has perhaps come to conceptualize the need for UDL from powerful new and innovative stances, for optimal impact and growth outcomes.
An argument which is less often used to frame UDL but that carries perhaps more persuasive weight with faculty, staff, and administration is that of sustainable development. When examining current post-secondary practices with regards to accessibility, learner diversity, and inclusion, it becomes immediately and pressingly tangible that campuses can rarely afford to continue functioning efficiently with their existing models.
There are three distinct ways, this session will argue, in which sustainability can and should be used as a lens to examine the need for change in relation to inclusion and accessibility: (i) first the notion of sustainable teaching practices pushes us to question how long we can continue to design for the mythical mainstream classroom, without burning out while retrofitting constantly for the diverse student population that is in fact in our lecture halls; (ii) the sustainable development lens also pushes to examine out current model of service provision in relation to accessibility and to question how long this delivery model can last without imploding; (iii) lastly, considering the hyper neo-liberal mindset that currently characterizes the neo-liberal sector, it is reasonable to wonder if institutions have a genuine likelihood of surviving and thriving if they do not respond to the ever more eloquent needs of a diverse clientele.
This session will seek to examine and showcase how UDL addresses these three areas of concern related to sustainable development. The session will be followed by a 30-minute panel during which these themes will continue to be explored in a fully interactive manner with the audience. The outcomes include:
- Acknowledge the impact of sustainability as a lens to promote UDL within campuses;
- Explore arguments and examples that may be useful to showcase UDL within a sustainability approach in the participants’ own institutions;
- Identify stakeholder relationship which must be developed and strengthened to grow UDL implementation within the sustainable development lens.
UDL – Where the buck stops! - In the change to a UDL model, who does what? Presented at the AHEAD 2018 Conference - Let’s Bring the Elephant into the Room! - Reshaping the inclusive environment in further & higher education
Keynote at the DCUTL2020: Reflecting on inclusive teaching in a post-pandemic...Frederic Fovet
The COVID pivot to online and blended learning has radically shaken teaching practices in the post-secondary sector, worldwide. Despite the overnight urgency and the rushed nature of the redesign, the shift to remote instruction and assessment has been a cathartic experience for individual instructors, departments and institutions as a whole. The pandemic has eroded the resistance to change which was prevalent in teaching and learning in many post-secondary landscapes. It has made classroom practitioners irreversibly conscious of their role and power as designers of the learning experience.
It would be naïve, however, to assert that this has been a period of only net gains. In the area of inclusion and social justice particularly, while there has been overall an increased awareness of learner diversity, accessibility and addressing diverse student needs have often been set aside or dismissed within the COVID contingency planning. The argument has been that the pandemic had made it impossible to focus on or to prioritize a Human Rights approach when so many other basic organizational priorities needed to be tackled with urgency.
The absence of focus on inclusion during the pandemic is concerning first because it has allowed a gap in opportunities to appear in most higher education landscapes – as inequities became exacerbated. The most worrying danger is, however, arguably yet to emerge. As instructors shift to the post-pandemic reality and integrate lessons from the COVID crisis into their practice, the prospect of adopting new teaching formats is increasingly appealing. A new, radically innovative conceptualization of blended learning is taking root - no longer seen as a response to remoteness, but instead as an optimized merging of best design considerations. It will be essential therefore, as this new vision of blended learning and its pedagogical potential emerge, to refocus attention on inclusion and learner diversity.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL), it will be argued in this presentation, has a key role to play in this reflection and will serve as a crucial framework to guide instructors as they navigate this new landscape and take on new responsibilities as lucid designers of fully blended experiences for the 21st century. The session will explore emerging needs in relation to inclusion within this new blended learning reality; it will examine specific ways UDL can be optimized as a lens to guarantee that inclusion remains a central concern in the coming years, as the post-secondary sector navigates this metamorphosis; lastly the session will consider the strategic and organizational challenges involved in giving UDL a central position within the pedagogical reflection which is unfolding in the post-pandemic landscape.
Frederic Fovet Keynote at the Perfect Blend Conference - Vancouver School BoardFrederic Fovet
Most schools around the world have been forced to launch extensive online and blended practices as the COVID pandemic precipitated the sector towards closure. This has been an unprecedented conjuncture for discovery, experimentation and exploration. As schools and teachers prepare for a post-pandemic landscape, it is also important nevertheless to acknowledge that the lessons learnt from these two years of forced change were not optimal. First, much of the work done online in the K-12 sector was not fully inclusive or designed for the full spectrum of diverse learners. Second, the blended and online practices that have emerged have generally been seen as poor substitutes, with teachers seeking to return to face to face urgently rather than reflectively integrating in their everyday teaching the rich pedagogical opportunities the blended formats have offered a glimpse of. The presentation will explore how Universal Design for Learning can be an immediately pertinent and effective framework, offering hands on tools, for teachers to capitalize on their pandemic experiences to transform their in-class practices, with the help of technology and a blended mindset.
Can we do it without school principals’ commitment? Exploring the complex imp...Frederic Fovet
There has been a growing interest for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework for inclusion in both the K-12 and post-secondary sectors over the last decade, and this momentum has been noticeable globally. The body of literature which evidences the pedagogical benefits of UDL implementation for the inclusion of diverse learners is now broad and diversified. There is also growing interest in examining UDL implementation from a leadership and administrative perspective, examining it as a management of change process. In the K-12 sector, this scholarship is not as developed as it could be if it is going to effectively support and guide the efforts of teachers as they attempt to scale up their initiatives and achieve sustainable integration across schools. There are many variables teachers seeking to adopt UDL have to battle with, and the roles and positions of school principal is a factor often cited.
This presentation will explore in an interactive format the much under-researched impact of the know-how, disposition, and commitment of school principals towards UDL integration. An awareness of this variable and its impact is crucial when designing future blueprints for the effective growth of UDL across schools. The session will be run in a workshop format that will encourage participants to share their experiences authentically and to build on some of the frustrations that will be expressed about the frequent ambivalence of school leaders in the process of UDL growth. The anticipated outcomes are as follows. Participants will:
- Reflect on the impact of school leadership on the success of UDL implementation
- Examine the resources and training school principals are in need of to more effectively support UDL initiatives
- Explore the challenges faced by school principals when trying to support UDL projects, within a wider landscape of neoliberal pressures
Keynote Presentation at the IT Sligo UDL Conference Frederic Fovet may 26Frederic Fovet
While there have been bold developments in the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the post-secondary sector over the last ten years on both sides of the Atlantic, much of these efforts have focused on showcasing the pedagogical benefits of its implementation. This discourse has remained a little naïve when it comes to management of change and organizational leadership. In the worst case scenarios, naivety has given way to actual clumsiness, which has been counter-productive in getting buy-in from faculty.
This session will explore the challenges and opportunities of UDL implementation across post-secondary campuses and give full consideration to the numerous organizational variables which impact this process. It will argue that many of the UDL initiatives witnessed in Higher Education over the years have been doomed to stagnation or to a process of slow death because there has been a lack of strategic reflection at the start of these processes. It is an opportune time to learn from these lessons, and to devise blue prints for the strategic management of UDL integration that acknowledge the complexity of the post-secondary landscape.
A new dramatic set of variables now affects this process of implementation: the COVID-19 crisis has irretrievably changed the realities of Higher Education and its modus operandi. It would be unrealistic to hope to ever return to a pre-pandemic ‘normal’, and in many ways the COVID crisis has been the catharsis for radical changes which had been a long time coming in a destabilized, hyper-competitive, and mostly unsustainable landscape. This complex and charged climate will appear, to many, as rife with hurdles when it comes to UDL implementation. The last year and a half has indeed seen a shift back to medical model practices and a loss of ground for may inclusion advocates. It will nevertheless be argued in the presentation that the COVID pandemic has also offered unprecedented opportunities to position UDL as a sustainable framework well suited to the post-pandemic reality.
Similar to From curiosity to sustainable individual implementation: Getting settled into a UDL routine of inclusive redesign of course delivery and assessment. (20)
Beyond curiosity: building on initial professional development opportunities ...Frederic Fovet
This interactive workshop will offer participants the opportunity to reflect collectively on the impact initial professional development on UDL has, within institutions, on the scaling up of UDL initiatives. The journey from PD opportunity to strategic involvement in UDL implementation across teaching and learning on campuses is not as linear as might be assumed. A variety of ecological variables can affect the impact these windows of PD have on practice, or the scope of their amplification across institutions. The workshop will lead the participants as they consider, beyond the actual content of UDL PD opportunity, what factors may limit the impact such UDL micro-credentials, or on the contrary magnify their potential. The workshop offers an opportunity to reflect, from an operational and leadership lens, what winning conditions need to be in place for PD on UDL to authentically take roots and achieve maximum outcomes.
Reimagining inclusion in higher education in transformational post-pandemic t...Frederic Fovet
Much of the discourse around inclusion in higher education has thus far been grounded in scholarship on disability and impairment. As a result, inclusion in this sector has been defined and discussed mostly in terms of an ‘accommodation vs. universal design’ dichotomy – or retrofitting after the fact versus proactive inclusive design ahead of the class. The COVID pandemic has forced, around the world, an overnight online pivot, as well as many other periods of pedagogical innovation and disruption over a two-year duration. The overall outcomes of this period of transformation in teaching and learning has been mixed with scholars and practitioners showcasing both new opportunities and continuing hurdles for students with disabilities.
The most unexpected outcome, however, of the emergence of the tertiary sector from the pandemic is the realization that issues of accessibility and inclusion which have been energized by the pivot are now discussed widely by the student body and are no longer restricted to issues of disability and impairment. This presentation will draw from qualitative data collected within the student body on a campus in Western Canada about the way their expectations about accessibility, inclusion and student-centeredness have evolved during and post-COVID in their experiences of their progression through their degree. It explores the emerging advocacy that surrounds these topics.
The discussion and outcomes section of the presentation will lead participants on a reflection about the ways the pandemic experience and the online pivot have radically transformed: (i) learner expectation with regards to inclusion and accessibility, (ii) blurred the delineations between students with disabilities and the rest of the student body, and (iii) created the need for a new conceptualization of inclusion in the tertiary sector in the post-pandemic landscape. One of the assertions developed in the presentation is that this redefinition of inclusion for the post-pandemic tertiary sector presumes a reflection on being together in/with place in the way teaching and learning redefines presence, connection, and engagement for fuller accessibility.
Creating sustainable foundations for the development of social emotional lear...Frederic Fovet
The scholarship on social emotional learning (SEL) has grown exponentially over the last decade. While its beneficial impact on best practices in school is immediately palpable, developing and strengthening buy-in for SEL in schools has, on the other hand, been strenuous in many contexts globally. One reason for this pushback is the lack of clear current theoretical connection, in the eyes of teachers, with existing policies and practices that are already in place in most jurisdictions. In most pre-service teacher training, for example, just as in in-service professional development, SEL sits aside of inclusion as a topic and is presented to stakeholders as entirely distinct. In the field, similarly, SEL integration projects tend to rival projects on inclusion rather than complement them. This creates a struggle for resources which is counter productive. It also creates a degree of confusion in the mind of many teachers, which can lead to disengagement and push-back, when in fact these agenda compliment each other pedagogically with ease. Much of this tension is historical and relates to the way SEL was introduced at a distinct stage, in most jurisdictions, from other inclusive policies. This dichotomous strain is also due to the fact that the stakeholders promoting both agendas often have distinct theoretical backgrounds and professional training. This session will examine solutions to this tension and engage participants on how to optimally conceptualize SEL within existing legislative and pedagogical frameworks for inclusion.
The session will first review and analyze the existing tension between inclusion initiatives and efforts to grow SEL in K-12 schools. The second part of the presentation will examine in more detail qualitative data gathered in Canada, among K-12 teachers, that explores these individuals’ perceptions around the place of SEL within best practices for inclusion. The third section of the session will focus on solutions that may help erode or eliminate this tension and will seek to offer participants hands-on strategies that might be useful in their own national contexts.
Getting the message across silos: exploring the difficult art of involving mu...Frederic Fovet
Plenary presentation at the Universal Design for Learning National Conference. Climbing the UDL Ladder: Building a Culture of Inclusion in Higher Education: "Overcoming Obstacles to Enhance and Sustain UDL Collaboration in Tertiary Education"
Gauging the impact of social model awareness among elementary and secondary s...Frederic Fovet
There has a been an exponential development – if not an explosion - of inclusive policies and practices adopted within the elementary and secondary sectors in most Global North jurisdictions over the last two decades. While the discourse around inclusion has grown as a result, it would be unwise to assume that inclusive practices have become the norm or that they have been seamlessly integrated: there is still a lot of tension and unease among teachers seeking to implement inclusive practices; this translates into hesitation and sometimes even a push back from school leaders; there remains much confusion at times as to the intentions and theoretical principles that ground these efforts.
The session will offer insights into a study which sought to determine to what extent an introduction to the Social Model of Disability was effective and impactful in allowing elementary and secondary school teachers to ground their work in the field of inclusive practices with conceptual clarity. It is argued that this has so far been the missing piece in pre-service teacher training as well as in-service professional development. The inclusion discourse within the primary and secondary landscape, both in terms of policy documents and field resources, has not explicitly or effectively integrated Disability Studies - and more specifically the Social Model of Disability - when framing and formulating inclusive provisions. As a result, teachers’ theoretical understanding of the foundations for inclusive reforms as they relate to the rights of children with disabilities is shaky at best and this affects these classroom professionals’ commitment to broad transformative pedagogical reforms. Bio-medical and deficit models prevail, and other lenses and constructs offered by the Disability Studies literature remain absent from this professional reflection.
The session explores qualitative data collected among K-12 teachers as they were being introduced to the key features of the social model of disability. The data analysis gauges to what extent this transformed their views on inclusion in the classroom.
This fully interactive session will lead the participants, in a hands-on fashion, along the journey experienced by these teachers and allow for an experiential understanding of the degree to which any material developing awareness of the social model of disability can have immediate impact on the clarity and effectiveness of inclusion efforts in the primary and secondary sectors. More widely, a discussion will be triggered in the session around the urgency of including Disability Studies scholarship in pre-service teacher training.
Examining the practicalities of accessibility and inclusion in post-pandemic ...Frederic Fovet
The push for extensive online teaching and learning had begun well before the COVID pandemic and the online pivot, but the last three years have dramatically intensified the reflection around what Education 4.0 might look like in the post-secondary. Consensus appears to privilege hybrid and blended learning as the format which is most likely to optimally meet the needs of learners in coming decades. Lessons from the three years of pandemic disruption have been rich and nuanced in this respect. Within this phenomenal momentum of pedagogical creativity and innovation, however, the situation in relation to accessibility and full inclusion of all diverse learners has been ambivalent, and the experiences of diverse students have been contradictory. This session showcases the qualitative analysis of phenomenological data collected among accessibility and inclusion specialists within higher education – faculty and support staff - regarding the challenges and opportunities encountered during these transformative three years. The theoretical paradigm within which this data is showcased and analyzed is interpretivist, but the work also acknowledges preoccupations of critical theory/ critical pedagogy. The discussion that emerges from these findings will focus on the ways these pandemic lessons on inclusive teaching and learning can now serve as an exceptional window to proactively frame smart pedagogies of the future that leave out no stakeholders. The final section of the session examines ways to integrate these pandemic lessons to generate sustainable best practices for accessibility and inclusion in transformative blended learning spaces, that succeed in going beyond ad hoc interventions and retrofitting.
Tackling the two solitudes. Bridging the conflicting lived realities of facu...Frederic Fovet
The lived experiences of faulty and accessibility service providers can vary significantly in higher education. This interactive live session will create an opportunity for a multidisciplinary reflection around the optimal ways to bridge the conflicting visions and experiences these two groups of key stakeholders have in relation to UDL adoption in the post-secondary classroom.
The term ‘two solitudes’ is often used in Canada to describe the cultural isolation and suspicion French and English communities develop in relation to each other. This concept will be used in this live interactive session to encourage participants to reflect on the differing views, visions and lived experiences of faculty and accessibility service personnel in relation to the adoption and implementation of UDL in the post-secondary sector. It will create an opportunity for a multidisciplinary reflection around the optimal ways to bridge the conflicting visions and experiences these two groups of key stakeholders have in relation to UDL adoption in the post-secondary classroom. This facilitated collective brainstorming session will support participants as they seek to (i) understand the cause of these conflicting subjective realities in relation to inclusion in the classroom, (ii) reflect on practices that may bridge these conflicting views, (iii) formulate calls for action which may be useful to campuses to nurture multistakeholder involvement as they promote UDL implementation.
Towards an intersectional approach to accessibility in the post-secondary lan...Frederic Fovet
The accessibility momentum has grown exponentially over the last decade in Canada, much like it has in other jurisdictions. With growing numbers of students making requests for accessibility services, and vast numbers of students identifying as experiencing barriers in learning, discussing the inclusion of students with disabilities has now become the norm on most post-secondary. Campuses. Delivery of services has had to be refined and accelerated. There is innovation in the way faculty are now engaged in a reflection on inclusion. Importantly inclusive design is now talked about much more openly, with faculty embracing their role as designers and Universal Design for Learning taking a central stage within the Teaching and Learning suites that support instructors.
While change has been impressive and it is now fair to assert that higher education is much more focused than ever on inclusion, this discourse remains very narrowly focused on impairment and disability. This is problematic in many ways and threatens the further development of inclusive policies and of effective universal design practices. (i) First this narrow conceptualization of students with disabilities is problematic as it fails to acknowledge intersectionality and the way these students’ lived experience often also involves marginalization on the basis of nationality, race, sexual orientation, and gender. (ii) It becomes rapidly clear when instructors adopt a barriers analysis in the redesign of their courses or assessment with the use of inclusive design lenses such as UDL, that the barriers experienced by students with disabilities are also commonly encountered by other diverse learners. Efforts to convince instructors of the pressing need for inclusive design therefore lose momentum by ignoring many of the learners this reflection is pertinent for. (iii) Lastly in terms of strategic change and of the embedding of inclusive design in the mission statements and sustainable plans of campuses, there is strength in numbers and the lack of interdisciplinary discourse on inclusion and accessibility weakens efforts for growth of this agenda.
This fully interactive session will lead participants to thoroughly explore the interdisciplinary networks and dialogues that are necessary on their campuses to trigger change and to widen the discourse on accessibility to include all key stakeholders. It is action focused and aims to offer the participants the opportunity to develop an immediate plan as to the ways they can become change agent in this process of interdisciplinary work around accessibility. The session is based on qualitative research carried out in Canada with faculty and support personnel that seeks to explore the hurdles and opportunities that currently exist within the process of creating interdisciplinary efforts towards accessibility across post-secondary institutions.
The COVID pandemic has forced onto schools an overnight pivot to virtual delivery and assessment. This emergency provisions and their online component have remained a part of the reality of teaching and learning for large parts of the last two years. Innovative and emergent uses of technology in the classroom have blossomed rapidly and found a rich and opportune context for growth. This two-year period of change and experimentation has now created an unprecedented thirst for the long-term adoption and integration of digital solutions in teaching and learning – be they virtual, hybrid of face to face.
Much of the reflection that has occurred around the use and integration of technology and virtual tools in teaching and learning, however, has ignored learner diversity, accessibility, and inclusion. The time constraints, exceptional circumstances of the pivot, the urgency of the measures, and the understanding arrangements were temporary have contributed to a certain laissez faire in terms of accessibility. The legal notion of undue hardship has explicitly been used by many schools and school districts to circumvent legislation on inclusion and human rights provisions which normally guarantee accessibility to learning.
This session will first examine the various concerns regarding inclusion and accessibility which have arisen during the pandemic in relation to digital learning. The presentation will then analyze the inherent risks that are present in relation to social justice and inclusion, as educational organizations transition back to face-to-face instruction and seek to retain the digital flavour that has blossomed over the last two years. The third section of this paper is a call for action which delineates the safeguards that must be in place as digital transformation of teaching and learning gains momentum in the post-pandemic landscape.
Keynote –4th Pedagogy for Higher Education Large Classes (PHELC) Symposium, D...Frederic Fovet
Including learner diversity in large class teaching: Using Universal Design for Learning to sustain a systematic proactive reflection on social justice and accessibility
UDL implementation in higher education during the COVID crisisFrederic Fovet
Abstract: After a decade of advocacy across North American campuses, it can be fairly asserted that Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is finally having an impact on the inclusion of students with Disabilities across campuses. It is helping shift instructors and departments away from medical model approaches to students with Disabilities, and facilitating the adoption of the social model of disability in classroom practices.
In 2020, however, the COVID pandemic forced campus closures and an overnight shift to online instruction and assessment across the world. Many have argued that this pivot has helped increase awareness of accessibility and has developed inclusive design as a mindset among instructors. Equally numerous are researchers and practitioners who feel that the pandemic has weakened institutions’ commitment to inclusion, made accessible learning more difficult to achieve, and generally hindered the development of UDL in Higher Education.
This interactive session will lead the audience in assessing to what extent each of these assertions might be true, and how campuses can draw important lessons from these experiences, in relation to UDL implementation.
The presentation draws from multiple interactive workshops which have been offered to UDL advocates and faculty throughout the pandemic. It presents the analysis of phenomenological data gathered throughout these professional development sessions.
Addressing the needs of diverse learners in online and blended learning with ...Frederic Fovet
There has been growing but sporadic interest around Universal Design for Learning across the post-secondary sector in most jurisdictions over the last decade. This, in itself is encouraging and there is no doubt that the notion that inclusion must be achieved through proactive inclusive design rather than through retrofitting and accommodations is finally gaining in popularity and visibility.
UDL work, however, has long entertained an ambivalent and complex relationship with the rest of the scholarship on technology, blended learning and online learning. While the overlap between the UDL literature and these other bodies of practice is prima facie obvious and rich, in the field it has been somewhat difficult strategically to get buy-in for UDL from the practitioners and researchers traditionally involved in technology rich pedagogy.
The COVID pandemic and the pivot to online teaching and learning have shaken this status quo and offered unprecedented opportunities to demonstrate and showcase the relevance of UDL when it comes to systemically addressing learner diversity in online and blended pedagogy.
The pandemic, however, has also further muddied the waters, and disrupted many of the relationships between stakeholders in academia. The disruption has been such that it becomes challenging at times to foresee what lessons have been learnt from the pandemic and what new practices are likely to emerge from the COVID crisis. The presentation will examine what the future of UDL implementation within the growth of online and blended learning might look like in this disrupted and quickly changing landscape. It will invite participants to engage in lucid assessments of the opportunities and challenges the post-pandemic era gives rise to in this area.
What is the important data that is not being recorded in comparative internat...Frederic Fovet
There have been giant steps made in the last decade with regards to the ways data on student performance is collected, analyzed and used for school improvement (Breakspear, 2014; Rozgonjuk et al., 2019; Wu et al., 2020). Much of the impact of the analysis of this data lies in the fact that it has allowed for large international comparative studies that yield important conclusions on the effectiveness of teaching practices, curriculum, and modes of assessment (Dickinson, 2019; OECD 2000-2015). The PISA framework and annual PISA results have in particular allowed for revealing reflections, at international level, in relation to the objectives, ethos and performance of national educational structures (Krieg, 2019; Patrinos & Angrist, 2018).
International comparative studies carried out on the data collected for the purpose of these large surveys, however, have yet to examine learner diversity or educational system’s ability to develop, grow and sustain inclusive practices in schools (Krammer et al., 2021). As a result, a significant gap exists in the quantitative data that is emerging from international comparative studies (Ainscow, 2015; Booth & Ainscow, 2002; Poulsen & Hewson, 2014).
This presentation will (i) examine the limitations of international, comparative standardized data on the issues of learner diversity and inclusive practices, (ii) explore the quantitative tools that do exist but are currently under-utilized in terms of data mining, (iii) examine the challenges and opportunities which lie ahead in relation to the development of sustainable quantitative tools that might allow for comparative analysis of the various ways national education systems tackle the task of differentiating education.
Embracing equity in a public health emergency: the role of UDL in guiding instructors as they adapt to an unprecedented reliance on online and hybrid teaching.
Keynote Session at the 17th International Conference on the Quality of Education and Training (CIMQUSEF17) – Leaving School Early: Causes, consequences and preventive policies
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Safalta Digital marketing institute in Noida, provide complete applications that encompass a huge range of virtual advertising and marketing additives, which includes search engine optimization, virtual communication advertising, pay-per-click on marketing, content material advertising, internet analytics, and greater. These university courses are designed for students who possess a comprehensive understanding of virtual marketing strategies and attributes.Safalta Digital Marketing Institute in Noida is a first choice for young individuals or students who are looking to start their careers in the field of digital advertising. The institute gives specialized courses designed and certification.
for beginners, providing thorough training in areas such as SEO, digital communication marketing, and PPC training in Noida. After finishing the program, students receive the certifications recognised by top different universitie, setting a strong foundation for a successful career in digital marketing.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
This slide is special for master students (MIBS & MIFB) in UUM. Also useful for readers who are interested in the topic of contemporary Islamic banking.
From curiosity to sustainable individual implementation: Getting settled into a UDL routine of inclusive redesign of course delivery and assessment.
1. From curiosity to sustainable individual
implementation: Getting settled into a UDL
routine of inclusive redesign of course delivery
and assessment.
Centre for Teaching and Learning, Cape Breton University
May 25th, 2023
2. Land Acknowledgement
• I acknowledg that I work on the
traditional lands of the Tk'emlúps
te Secwépemc within
Secwépemc'ulucw, the traditional
and unceded territory of the
Secwépemc. I also acknowledge
that I live on the unceded an
traditional lands of the Sylx
people. I also acknowledge the
CBU campus is located on the
unceded and traditional territories
of the Mi’kmaq people. I
acknowledge their language, their
culture, their elders and recognize
their claims to land.
3. Objectives of the Session
• (First hour)
• Quick refresher of the key characteristics of the UDL approach
• Explore the need for change in the design of assessment
• Explore the three design principles of UDL
• Explore the ways UDL is suited to this quickly changing landscape
• (Second hour)
• Hands-on case studies and scenarios
• Explore the way UDL may support a reflection on delivery and assessment
• Examine hands-on example scenarios of barriers in the post-secondary classroom that need to be
removed through redesign
• Explore the ways the three UDL principles Acknowledge remaining challenges present in the
implementation of authentic whole class inclusive practices in post-pandemic teaching and learning
• (Third hour)
• Questions and discussion
• Participants will be invited to share their own priorities or current concerns around inclusive design
• (Remaining time)
• Reflection on the strategic dimensions of UDL implementation across a campus
4. Heads up! Generating ideas and scenarios
to work from
• https://edswgrad.padlet.org/ffovet1/what-are-some-of-the-scenarios-you-would-
like-to-work-from-llkfk4bu2t460khj
• Please use this Paddlet to share the situations you would like to work from for our
hands-on examples
• You can enter your thoughts and example
through the first hour
5. Personal lens and methodological stance
• Unique positioning as a scholar: have been
both an Accessibility Services manager and a
faculty member
• Was involved in large scale UDL
implementation from 2011 to 2016 across a
campus – experienced this process in its full
complexity
• Have also been Academic Lead/ Program Head
at UPEI and RRU, and have needed to guide
contract faculty around inclusive teaching and
the use of UDL
• Act as a UDL consultant with colleges and
universities in Canada
• Teach mostly mid-career teachers within MEd
courses
• My research and scholarship focuses on UDL
• I will be drawing from these multiple and
varied perspectives
6. Modelling UDL in the session format
• It can be challenging and frustrating to discuss UDL in virtual workshop sessions which are
inherently traditional and ‘sage on a stage’ in format.
• Becomes increasingly contradictory when UDL advocates present in non-UDL ways.
• UDL is not just about the classroom; these principles of inclusive design apply to all our
interactions with others (PD, conferences, campus services, HR communications, etc.)
• Within the parameters we are given today:
- Personalized communication beyond the session itself with the help of a Padlet:
https://edswgrad.padlet.org/ffovet1/cbu-udl-workshop-may-25th-2023-1tt275w49g0uie6c
- Continues interaction and dialogue on social media
- Interactive tasks: some small group work & we will be using Menti.com
- Time will be set aside for questions at the end; conversations can continue face to face after
the session
- Personalized interaction possible through email
- Will share by slides again through SlideShare
7. Section1: (First hour)
Quickrefresher of the key characteristicsof the UDLapproach
• Let’s take some time to recap
what was covered last year in
the UDL workshop.
• It will give us an opportunity
to share our understanding
and to find a common ground
for our exploration today
8. Identifying the “need”
• Why do we even need a new approach to
inclusion in the post-secondary sector?
• We will use Menti (www.menti.com) for a
quick polling activity.
• I will generate the code during the activity
• “In relation to the way we as a sector are
currently addressing learner diversity, do
you feel that…”
• We are overwhelmed
• We are addressing some needs but
ignoring many others
• We are coping well and in a sustainable
way
• All participants voted for the “We are
addressing some needs but ignoring many
others” option
9. Six facets of a quickly changing landscape
• Changing demographics
• Fast changing shift in the definition/ construction of diversity
• Urgent need to integrate the social model of disability in teaching and
learning
• A fast-spreading concern for social justice in higher education
• Need for sustainable practices
• Growing power of the student voice
10. A palpable tension in higher ed teaching
and learning
• This tension has been growing for the last decade
• It leads to a feeling of unease, instructor attrition, a culture clash between
traditional processes and emerging aspirations, challenges to the power and
status of faculty, and a significant number of litigious outcomes.
• Very real risks of Human Rights violation/ lengthy investigations
• There is a pressing need for sustainable solutions.
11. Group activity – What is UDL?
• Levelling the playing field – giving all participants the same basic understanding of
UDL.
• Before we start examining the use of UDL within evaluation, let’s make gauge how
much you already know about UDL!
• We will take 10 minutes to discuss in small groups any familiarity we already have
with UDL.
13. UDL in a nutshell
• UDL is a sustainable framework to manage learner diversity in education. It
translates the social model into classroom practices and shifts the educator
away from deficit model approaches to learner diversity. It ensures
educators adopt a design mindset in all their choices, by shifting the focus
away from student exceptionality onto the educator as designer of the
learning experience.
14. Remember!
• Don’t be afraid to reject overly directive formulations of UDL
• UDL means different things for different educators. It is a reflective lens on practice,
no more
• UDL leads to different design solutions depending on expertise, years of experience
teaching, specific clientele, institutional culture, content specialty, seniority of
students, departmental leadership.
• This flexibility is what makes UDL attractive to higher ed instructors vs. other models
of inclusion
15. Inclusive design… it’s daunting
• Adopting an inclusive design mindset can be daunting.
• Educators have rarely been exposed to this scholarship or embraced that role.
• We perpetuate the practices we have experienced ourselves
• Our design makes sense to us but may not be user-friendly or congenial to others
• Issues of culture (anecdote from my own lived experience)
• We often are lacking, in the field of education, the ethnographic tools/ training
traditionally used in design work
• We are not used or trained to consider UX
• We feel that design is a specific field we have no expertise in
16. UDL – An overview
• Where does one start? How does one progress along? Can be overwhelming
• UDL offers three ‘bite size’ principles to begin a design reflection around
teaching and learning
• It breaks the process of inclusive design into a manageable, life-long
reflection that can be hands-on and user-friendly for any instructor.
• Multiple means of representation
• Multiple means of action and expression
• Multiple means of engagement
17.
18. The inclusive design process
• The ‘barriers analysis’ [Implementation of the social model]
• The reflection is progressive and works in small steps
• Choose one dimension of your practice: delivery or assessment
• Determine which of the three UDL principles comes into play [Can be more than
one]
• Use the UDL principles chosen in order to remove the barriers identified, through the
production of an inclusive design solution
• Take the time to get student feedback and enjoy the outcomes
• Use the learner feedback as motivation to tackle another tricky design/ barrier next
semester or in the next course
• Continue that progression on the spectrum towards more inclusive design practices
through one’s career
19. One example from my practice supporting
faculty
• Selecting an area of practice: Assessment
• Barrier identified: Deadlines in paper submission create a great deal of stress and anxiety for
many students; this stress can be counter-productive when it comes to authentically gauging
learner competencies and gains.
• Nature of the barrier: this barrier may affect a wide array of learners in higher education:
students with disabilities, second language learners and international students, life-long
learners with work commitments, ‘non-traditional’ students with families and dependents,
first generation and Indigenous students who may be navigating pressures they have not
been give guidance in navigating, etc.
• UDL Principle used: Multiple means of action and expression (as this is about offering
students more flexibility in the ways they interact with us)
• Design solution from a department I had the pleasure of working with: Provide all students
with a bank of days of ‘grace period’.
• Outcome: students remain accountable, can navigate pressures autonomously, no need for
intrusive discussions or explanations, less tension between faculty and students, improved
outcomes in course evaluations, resources is available to all learners/ no stigmatization.
20. Summary of the thought process
• Identify a ‘barrier’ which
exists in the classroom
(delivery or assessment)
• Consider which of the three
UDL principles will be useful
• Inject optimal flexibility using
this UDL principle
• Make this design reflex
sustainable and adopt for the
long haul
21. Section 2: (Second hour)
Hands-on case studies and scenarios
• We will spend the second hour applying this process of redesign to hands on
scenarios and case studies.
• You are encouraged to share your current concerns in relation to inclusion in the
classroom.
• We also have some scenarios we can work from if you need inspiration
22. Generating ideas and scenarios to work
from
• https://edswgrad.padlet.org/ffovet1/what-are-some-of-the-scenarios-you-would-
like-to-work-from-llkfk4bu2t460khj
• Please use this Paddlet to share the situations you would like to work from for our
hands-on examples
23. Reflection and practice in small breakout rooms
• Now we have discussed the
case studies you came up
with, let’s take the time to
select a case study from the
list and to work our way
through the scenario in small
groups.
24. Back up scenarios to choose from
• Case study 1 – Mateo teaches grad courses in Education. His diet of assessment each
semester incudes four written assessment. Mateo feels his grad students normally lack some
skills in academic writing and need as much practice as possible. His students, however,
often struggle with this palette of assessments and express their frustration.
• Case study 2 – Catori teaches science and feels it is essential for students to be present in
lecture to take notes. As a result she never shares her PPT. Catori speaks quite fast and
students sometimes complain they have no time to take appropriate notes. She flicks
through her slides very rapidly too. She stresses to students that the course textbook is a
good place to visit to complete their own notes effectively.
• Case study 3 - François experiences challenges in relation to the undergrad Sociology courses
he teaches. Each semester a number of students contest his grading. Several use the course
evaluation to complain vehemently each semester that they failed assignments because they
did not in fact fully understand the requirements and directives.
• Case study 4 – Ada teaches first year French language classes. As the students usually take
other courses that are more text based, she decides to make all of her five term assignments
spoken/listening components only. There is no text based assessment and no writing
involved. Several students who are registered with Accessibility services frequently complain
and have on occasion withdrawn from the course.
25. Scenarios to choose from (contd.)
• Case study 5 - Amr teaches mostly Psych 101 courses. It is Amr’s first year teaching; his classes are
all 75 +, and he is teaching 3 courses per semester. Amr has decided to adopt assessment
practices that are similar to those he was himself exposed to in his Psych undergrad: one class
quiz, one group presentation (groups of 10), and two multiple choice exams (mid-term and finals).
Amr has met several times with self-appointed class reps who express their feeling the class is not
going well and students are frustrated by the choice of assessment.
• Case study 6 - Namid is teaching graduate Chemistry courses. In an effort to be experiential in her
teaching practices, and to shift away from traditional test-based assessment practices, she has
designed a series of twelve practical evaluations [one assessment per class] which are all hands-
on, lab based, and involve equipment manipulation. Namid has a moment of hesitation in relation
to her innovative assessment choices before her semester begins and asks for your advice, as a
colleague.
• Case study 7 – Sebastian runs a biology lab course. Students are handed a hand-out sheet during
each class and circulate between lab stations. They are expected to take notes, connect what
they see to the key learning outcome of the week and to produce a 500-word written summary on
the form of the physical phenomenon they were able to master. Sebastian has noticed that a
significant number of students register for the course but drop out during week 2, each semester.
26. Scenarios to choose from (contd.)
• Case Study 8 - Jia teaches an introduction foundational course in curriculum
studies on an MEd. Most of her students are new arrivals to Canada. She has
adopted a mixed and diversified diet of assessment and feels that she has
invested significant amount of times in designing this matrix. She, however,
feels that students are not performing as well as they ought to considering
the work they are clearly putting into the course. Many of the assignments
draw on experiences with the Canadian K-12 sector and many of her students
have no such experience. They feel unmotivated.
• Case study 9 – Vihan is keen on getting his students to collaborate actively
and to stay engaged. He flips all his chemistry classes through the semester
and starts each lecture with a problem displayed on the screen. The students
then have 3 hours to solve the problem. He leaves without providing the
answer as he believes the best learning occurs in this constant quest for
solutions.
27. (Third hour) Questions and discussion
• Participants will be invited to
share their own priorities or
current concerns around
inclusive design
28. Point of discussion: An inherent subjacent
reflection
• It is very difficult to discuss inclusion,
access and inclusive design without
engaging in a complex reflection around
learning outcomes
• One may not be willing to afford optimal
flexibility in relation to core learning
outcomes
• There will, however, be ample room for
flexibility and inclusive design in relation
to all the rest [and that is a lot of area
where UDL can be used at will!]
• Departments that have engaged in a rich
reflection/ discussion around learning
outcomes find the work with UDL and
inclusive design much easier.
29. Point of reflection: Some pitfalls to watch
out for!
• The ravenous re-designer – beware of design burn out!
• Doing too much too fast
• The exhausted cynic
• Acknowledging our resources and our time constraints
• It’s about adding choice and flexibility – not about simply substituting options
[example of the flipped classroom]
• UDL is a proactive process, not a reactive retrofit
• Avoiding checklists/ embracing the complexity – this is not a simple process; let’s not
be reductionist
• The reflection is not tool based – it’s about the process in context (the same tool can
be both UDL and non-UDL)
• Transitional friction
• We never redesign in a void
• It’s not just about accessibility and inclusion - Importance of other pedagogical
objectives [Other incredible pedagogical reflections took place during the pandemic]
30. Point of discussion: What if students do not like the
UDL approach?
• Understanding the challenge
of transitioning students to
new pedagogical models
• Phenomenon of ‘transitional
friction’
• What are the causes?
• How does one address this?
31. Section 4: If time allows!
• We will reflect about the
strategic challenges that
impede UDL growth on
campuses.
• These issues need to remain
at the forefront of our
thought process as we are
not just educators; we are
employees in complex
organizations where change is
not seamless.
32. Planning with an ecological lens
• Ecological theory helps us
acknowledge the complexity
• Who is driving the UDL
implementation drive?
• What are this unit’s history/
culture/ relationship with other
stakeholders?
• Is the stakeholder in charge of
growth the congenial and natural
party for this to be successful?
• How do we monitor success in UDL
implementation?
33. Need for an ecological lens on UDL
implementation across institutions
35. References & Resources
Black, R. D., Weinberg, L. A., & Brodwin, M. G. (2015). Universal design for learning and instruction: Perspectives of
students with disabilities in higher education. Exceptionality Education International, 25(2), 1-16
Boothe, K., Lohmann, M., Donnell, K., & Hall, D. (2018) Applying the Principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
in the College Classroom. Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship, 7(3).
Burgstahler, S.E. (2015) Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. Harvard Education Press,
MA
Dalton, E. M., Lyner-Cleophas, M., Ferguson, B. T., & McKenzie, J. (2019). Inclusion, universal design and universal
design for learning in higher education: South Africa and the United States. African Journal of Disability, 8, 519
Dean, T., Lee-Post, A., & Hapke, H. (2017). Universal design for learning in teaching large lecture classes. Journal of
Marketing Education, 39(1), 5-16
Farrell, A.M. (2021) Embedding Universal Design for Learning in the Large Class Context: Reflections on Practice. In F.
Fovet (Ed.) Handbook of Research on Applying Universal Design for Learning Across Disciplines: Concepts, Case
Studies, and Practical Implementation. IGI Global
Fovet, F. (2021a) Developing an Ecological Approach to Strategic UDL Implementation in Higher Education. Journal of
Education and Learning, 10(4).
Fovet, F. (2021b) Anger and Thirst for Change among Students with Disabilities in Higher Education: Exploring
Universal Design for Learning as a Tool for Transformative Action. In C-M. Reneau and M.A. Villarreal (Eds.) Handbook
of Research on Leading Higher Education Transformation with Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion. IGI Global.
Fovet, F. (2021c) UDL in Higher Education: a Global Overview of the Landscape and its Challenges. In F. Fovet (Ed)
Handbook of Research on Applying Universal Design for Learning Across Disciplines: Concepts, Case Studies, and
Practical Implementation. IGI Global
36. References & Resources (contd.)
Fovet, F. (2021d) Maintaining a Firm Social Justice Lens During a Public Health Crisis: Lessons Learnt From the ‘Learning
Pods' Phenomenon. In P. Keough (Ed.) Educational Recovery for PK-12 Education During and After a Pandemic. IGI
Global.
Fovet, F. (Ed.) (2021) Handbook of Research on Applying Universal Design for Learning Across Disciplines: Concepts,
Case Studies, and Practical Implementation. IGI Global
Fovet, F. (2020) Universal Design for Learning as a Tool for Inclusion in the Higher Education Classroom: Tips for the
Next Decade of Implementation. Education Journal. Special Issue: Effective Teaching Practices for Addressing Diverse
Students’ Needs for Academic Success in Universities, 9(6), 163-172.
http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/paperinfo?journalid=196&doi=10.11648/j.edu.20200906.13
Fovet, F. (2019) Not just about disability: Getting traction for UDL implementation with International Students. In: Kate
Novak & Sean Bracken (Eds.) Transforming Higher Education through Universal Design for Learning: An International
Perspective, Routledge.
Griful-Freixenet, J., Struyven, K., Verstichele, M., & Andries, C. (2017) Higher education students with disabilities
speaking out: perceived barriers and opportunities of the Universal Design for Learning framework. Disability & Society,
32, 10
James, K. (2018) Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a Structure for Culturally Responsive Practice. Northwest
Journal of Teacher Education, 13(1), Article 4.
Kennette, L., & Wilson, N. (2019) Universal Design for Learning: What is it and how do I implement it? Transformative
Dialogues: Teaching & Learning, 12(1)
Nieminen, J.H., & Pesonen, H.V. (2020) Taking Universal Design back to its roots: Perspectives on accessibility and
identity in Undergraduate Mathematics. Education Sciences, 10(1). 2020, 10(1), 12
Novak, K. & Bracken, S. (Eds.) Transforming Higher Education through Universal Design for Learning: An International
Perspective. Routledge
37. Some thoughts on the case studies to begin your
journey with UDL and assessment
• Case study 1 – Barrier: the learning outcomes which dominates the entire matrix is academic writing. Many
learners may experience specific challenges with this learning outcome, but not with the other outcomes of
the course. They cannot, however, demonstrate their competencies, with the assignments as currently
designed. UDL principle being used: multiple means of action and expression. Possible solutions: offer some
flexibility with assessment submission formats when the outcomes assessed is not academic writing.
• Case study 2 -
• Case study 3 – Barrier: it seems like the challenge experienced by the students here mostly relates to the
directives themselves which are not understood. Instructors can be teacher-centric in the way they formulate
directives. UDL principle at play: multiple means of representation. Possible design solutions: present the
directives in multiple formats (video, oral explanation, written text, and hopefully also some graded samples
of past work being offered as models).
• Case study 4 – Barrier: by replacing traditional submission formats (written) with an alternative one (spoken
components only) throughout, Ada removes barriers for some students but creates different barriers for
others. Some students indeed may experience very specific challenges with oral components (anxiety, stress,
speech impediments, etc. Some higher education students may these days also be non-verbal and
communicate through technology and text to speech software). UDL principle at play: multiple means of
action and expression. Possible design solution: implementing UDL is not about substituting one medium for
another; it’s about offering more flexibility to learners. A mixed diet of written and oral components would
make sure no student is unfairly challenged throughout the assessment.
38. Some thoughts on the case studies to begin your
journey with UDL and assessment(contd.)
• Case study 5 – Barriers identified: all assignments are short form or involve presentations. Students can
experience very specific challenges in short form summative assessment (many students with learning
disabilities for example complete multiple choice test incorrectly although they have gained the competency
being taught in the course); other students will experience specific challenges in group work and class
presentations (stress, anxiety, ASD, second language learner hurdles with synchronous group communication,
etc.). UDL principle used for this reflection: multiple means of action and expression. Possible design
solution: incorporate where possible opportunities for students to demonstrate competencies long form, in
individual ways. See Ann Marie Farrell’s work on assessment and UDL in large classes – in the references.
• Case study 6 – Possible barriers: the experiential flavour of the assignments is interesting but relying on this
format solely to assess all competencies can create barriers for students with physical disabilities, student
with medical conditions who may not be capable of attending each class, etc. UDL principle at play here:
multiple means of action and expression. Possible inclusive design solutions: retain some of the experiential
learning flavour in the assessment matrix but also offer alternatives for students who do not function well in
these tasks. Retaining some traditional assignment formats (written answers for example) will be important
for some students. It is important to offer more choices, not to simply substitute one design choice for
another.
• Case study 7- Possible barriers: The physical movement between stations may create challenges for students
with physical disabilities. Many students may be facing challenges with the print form handout. ULD principle
at play: Multiple means of representation. Possible inclusive solutions: Have the option of completing the lab
observations virtually from one single digital station. Using digital worksheets available to students before the
class begins so they can load it onto their device. Retaining the option of completing the activity physically
will be important for some students. It is about widening choices, not substituting one option for another.
39. Some thoughts on the case studiesto begin yourjourneywith
UDLand assessment(contd.)
• Case study 8: Barrier identified: it may be very challenging for students who have no
understanding of the domestic landscape to complete some of the assignments we design, in a
meaningful way. UDL principle at play: multiple means of engagement. Possible design solutions:
Instructors may need to spend some time reflecting on the assumptions they make in relation to
learner engagement. Even if students are committed to doing well in a course, it may be
impossible for them to achieve the necessary motivation when they lack affective connections
with the course content. In my case, I realized International Students were finding it challenging
to complete essays, reflect on key issues, and engage authentically with the readings in MEd
courses, when they had little understanding of the North American education system. The design
solution we came up with as a team was to offer a weekly film club focused on education in
movies, running through the MEd. For more on this reflection, see Fovet (2019).
• Case study 9: Barrier identified: The flipped classroom can be a good occasional alternative to re-
engage students who may not like the traditional lecture. The systematic flip, however, also
creates barriers for second language learners, for students with anxiety and mental health issues,
for students on the AS, and for students with speech impediments/ hearing issues, etc. UDL
principle at play: Multiple means of action and expression/ representation. Possible redesign
solutions: Use the flipped classroom occasionally but alternate with other modes of delivery that
do not systematically create barriers for learners. When the class is flipped, it may be possible to
create a virtual discussion space for some students who prefer this – even if they are physically in
the room.
40. Contact details
• Frederic Fovet (PhD.)
• Implementudl@gmail.com
• School of Education, Faculty of Education and Social Work,
Thompson Rivers University
• ffovet@tru.ca
• @Ffovet
• www.implementudl.com